This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Removable bit holders for power tools have become increasingly common, especially as the need and desirability of wider versatility in the use of power tools and hand tools has increased. Such removable bit holders are removably mounted to a power tool and allow the power tool to be used with any of a number of interchangeable bits. This, in turn, has resulted in demands for greater speed, convenience and ease of insertion and removal of tool bits from such bit holders.
In one exemplary type of such conventional removable bit holders, one or more detent balls are positioned within a hollow, barrel-shaped tool bit holder body and are resiliently biased into engagement with a circumferentially-extending groove or recess on the shank of the tool bit. Although this basic design has performed well, removable bit holders of this type have been found to be inordinately expensive and difficult to manufacture due to the relatively large number of parts required, as well as frequently requiring the operator to actuate a sleeve, collar or other component part with one hand while using their other hand for the insertion and the removal of the tool bit. The insertion and removal of the tool bit can be cumbersome as the user has to remove their hand from the hand grip of the tool to manipulate the sleeve and insert or remove the tool bit while also holding onto the power tool.
The use of removable bit holders for power tools also undesirably increases the length of the power tool, making it more difficult to handle while performing a task and adversely affecting the ability of the user to use/access fasteners and drilling applications in tight spaces.